Chapter 4

Aria did not get a night of sleep again. She was wide awake, for most of the night even if she really did want to rest.

She was thinking of Cole and all the possibilities that came with him being in her life. She hated that she was thinking of him, yet couldn’t help herself. Her heat still lingered within her, settling low in her stomach and in between her thighs.

Maybe it was because the room smelled unmistakably male, she thought. Maybe it was because the room smelled like Cole. His scent was so strong when he had only spent a little time standing in it. Or maybe it was his room she was in. The scent clung to the walls as if he had claimed the space simply by existing near it.

“You don’t think he’d give me his room to sleep in, do you?” She murmured to Maya.

Maya let out a low growl within her, “This is bad. This is very bad, you’re growing more acquainted with the smell of him.”

Aria didn’t take her eyes off the ceiling she had been staring at. “You are not helping, you know.”

“Well, you are practically shaking and you’re breathing just how you did back then, when he was on top of you in the woods, and he’s not even here.”

“That’s because I can smell him…” Aria thought of a reason, dismissing what her wolf was insinuating.

“It’s because you WANT to smell him,” Maya mentioned, but Aria countered it, shaking her head even though it sank into the pillow beneath it.

“No, I don’t. That’s like the one thing I don’t want right now. I hate that it smells like him everywhere here.”

“Maybe you don’t want it, but your body does.” Maya’s words settled in her head, leaving her thinking again.

She put her hands on her stomach and took in slow breaths. She had learned to breathe like this when she felt scared and was about to lose control. The Moon Goddess did not matter to her now. The supposed bond between her and Cole did not matter to her either. She was not going to fall just because some old power thought it understood her better than she understood herself. The Moon Goddess and the bond were not going to control her. She was in charge of her life and she knew what she wanted and was sure it wasn’t Cole.

***

Morning.

Morning came slowly and the sunlight was very bright as it came through the windows. Aria made herself get out of bed even if her legs felt stiff and her skin looked too pale. She freshened up and took her time with it because it took her mind off things for a while.

But then she finished and stopped when the thought of something that did not feel right occurred to her. Aria realised that she was still in heat. She couldn’t believe how much stronger it was getting with every passing moment. She groaned and walked out of the room, ready to survey escape points around the cabin where they were less security.

That was when she discovered there was a whole other empire asides the cabin. The walls of Ironwood were awake now. Random footsteps echoed softly here and there. Some people looked at her when she walked by out of curiosity but they didn’t stare long.

She noticed how they weren’t guards assigned to every post and pillar unlike her father’s place. They must all be assembled outside then, she thought.

“Or maybe he’s just giving you freedom like he said he would?” Maya chirped into her thoughts.

“It’s just his strategy, Maya,” Aria said quietly. ”Everything, about that man is strategic. He’s trying to get me to trust him and I won’t.”

She walked into the courtyard without thinking much about it. It was the only space that looked like there were fewer people there. The fresh air was nice too, It felt good on her skin and made her forget about where she was for a while till she felt Cole’s presence.

She hadn’t even seen him but she knew it was the man she had been thinking about. It felt like he was standing so close to her, but she couldn’t see him even after looking around.

This time it was not just about his smell. It was something deeper than that. She felt a kind of pull, and it felt like something was falling into place whether she liked it or not.

Cole walked into the courtyard a while after that. Cole stepped into the courtyard moments later. He stopped when he saw her, posture going still. He wore black today; a simple, fitted black shirt, with his sleeves rolled just enough to expose his forearms. There were faint scars there, old and pale, the type earned and never spoken about.

Aria rolled her eyes, wondering why he ever wore long-sleeved shirts if he was going to roll them up.

He walked towards her, “You are up early.”

“Didn’t sleep,” She said, but made it sound like she didn’t want to sleep instead of the fact that she wanted to but couldn’t.

“I can tell,” He sighed and it became silent for a while till he spoke again. “You should not be here, by yourself.”

She laughed quietly. “Let me guess. It’s dangerous to be here because I could wander off.”

He didn’t reply, just stared at her with his pleading eyes. Aria swallowed, immediately realising what he meant. He could smell she was in heat, but not just him, every male around could.

Her head turned quickly towards him. “Excuse me?”

“I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Yes, you did! Don’t deny it.”

Cole sighed again, not knowing how to respond.

Maya stirred. “He is worried you might attract other men,” She said.

Arias’s fingers curled into the stone railing. “So what is the point of this? You are going to lock me up until I calm down?”

Cole took a step closer to her then he stopped. He smiled lightly. “What’s your deal with being locked up? It’s almost like you’ve got a kink for it.” He teased, but that only made Aria angrier.

She looked at him. He did have a nice smile, but too bad she hated him just as much as she hated her father for this bond nonsense they’ve been going on about.

Before she could say anything in reply, footsteps came towards them. Selene walked up to them, and Aria noticed how soft her face looked.